Review: The Springsweet - Saundra Mitchell

The Springsweet
by Saundra Mitchell
Young Adult
Read From: May 21, 2012 - May 23, 2012

Review

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I did not have high hopes for this book. The Vespertine didn’t need a sequel, and all I anticipated was a complete disaster. I was wrong, and as much as I dislike to admit when I am wrong in general, I’m always relieved to say that when it comes to books (unless, of course, I anticipated the book to be good, and then it was turned out to be bad). The Author was clever when she wrote The Springsweet. It doesn’t follow the “continued” adventures of The Vespertine’s heroine, Amelia, but rather follows Zora’s life after the tragic events of the previous summer. I would, of course, encourage people to read The Vespertine before picking this one up, so Readers can understand how Zora came to be the way she is, and The Springsweet also ends with more than a hint towards the third book connecting back to Amelia’s life.

In many ways, I liked Book Two better. Emerson was easier to like than Nathanial. Emerson never struck me as untrustworthy, unlike Nathanial, who just seemed a little bit creepy. Zora is every bit as good of a narrator as Amelia, and considering the loss of her fiance, it is easy to sympathize with her, especially when Zora discovers her own magical abilities and begins to understand what Amelia went through herself. My main complaint about characters concerns Theo. I wanted very badly for him to be a villain. From the beginning, I was suspicious of him and the Author had a perfect setup for him to become the book’s antagonist. But it was wishful thinking and thus the book has a shocking lack of bad guys. The one character that causes some problems, Royal, isn’t in the book enough to really count.

The writing itself is just as good and beautiful as in The Vespertine. The Author has great talent when it comes to weaving clear pictures of scenery, characters, and costume. But I wish she hadn’t had Zora so focused on Emerson’s muscles and handsomeness. I’m perfectly okay if a heroine wants to mention, once or twice, that another character is handsome and strong. But not constantly, and certainly not every bloody time she sees him without his shirt, or when it is raining. It just makes the heroine seem shallow.

Apart from that, however, I liked The Springsweet, and I am looking forward to Book Three!

Others in This Trilogy:

1)The Vespertine

2)The Springsweet

3)The Elementals